The present invention generally relates to a compact, configurable computer and mixed media workstation and enclosure and, more particularly, relates to compact and readily configurable enclosures with primary application to workstations for electronic computer-assisted presentations, network-based meetings, remote training stations, and standing computer stations. The present invention also relates to office furniture with configurable shelves, transcription note holders, securing and locking mechanisms, or electrical power distribution facilities.
Electronic mixed-media meeting workstations and enclosures driven by hardware and network technologies are well known. Important enabling network and Internet technologies for this invention include xe2x80x9cstreamingxe2x80x9d data transmission and rendering formats for remote audio and video feeds, which allow remote user terminals to buffer and display or playback delayed content continuously, but prior to transmission of complete programs. Furthermore, the transmission rates required for xe2x80x9creal timexe2x80x9d audio and video feeds have been dramatically reduced, in some cases by more than two orders of magnitude, by aggressive but standardized data compression algorithms. Most modem personal computers contain decoders and network protocol handlers that allow such remote content to be displayed with conventional xe2x80x9cbrowsersxe2x80x9d embellished with multimedia players and xe2x80x9cadd-inxe2x80x9d software. In this way, audiographics, consisting of audio, still images, documents, and motion images may be effectively transmitted, bidirectionally, from one room to another over corporate networks, and from one site to another over narrowband Internet and intranet facilities. However, the delays associated with computer networks and particularly the internet, and with the buffered xe2x80x9cstreamingxe2x80x9d audio formats previously mentioned, complicate the simultaneous transmission and synchronization of real-time audio with associated graphical materials. For this reason, modern multimedia workstations used for net-conferences and xe2x80x9cweb conferencesxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cweb castingxe2x80x9d, often employ parallel simultaneous telephone or conference (hands-free) telephone connections for transmission of real time voice and audio material associated with the network-borne graphical material. Such telephone conferencing capability has not to date been implemented in a compact integrated mixed media workstation.
Modern personal computers, even portable computers typically contain hardware media players such as compact disk (CD) and digital versatile disk (DVD) players. This allows non-resident audio, graphics, and video content on CDs and DVDs to be played using the inherent facilities of a personal computer.
Until now, the personal computer on an individual""s desk, has dominated the model for e-meeting client terminals. This need for an individual workstation is addressed with personal computers that now conventionally come equipped with speakers, large display monitors, integrated network connections, and modems. Business collaboration in the corporate conference and training room, driven by the network and Internet technologies, mentioned above, and by other technologies such as miniaturized data projectors and document cameras for displaying images and video program material on large screens, will increasingly involve at least one site with multiple attendees. Examples of types of business collaboration needs include remote client presentations, remote sales meetings, remote business presentations, remote design reviews, and the like. Separate business infrastructure, such as is deployed by subscription network-meeting hosting businesses, has developed to facilitate these xe2x80x9cone to manyxe2x80x9d electronic meetings. These trends clearly anticipate escalating demand for scheduled e-meetings that will increasingly draw corporate attendees away from their individual desks and PC""s to local clusters for remote meetings, distance learning, training, and collaboration. The adoption in 1999-2000 of interoperable industry consensus standards (H323) for network-based teleconferencing and telecollaboration will accelerate the need for multi-client terminals for display and remote multi-participant attendance at network meetings.
Thus, new models for telecollaboration client terminals are needed for co-locating and integrating miniaturized data projectors, professional audio mixers and speakers, flat-panel monitors, conferencing speaker phones, collaboration software, and other communication aids together with control and presentation consoles for the meeting facilitators. These new terminals should be capable of securing and interconnecting, without deconfiguring, all forms of mixed-media electronics and accessories, and should be presentation-ready when not in use. The terminals should be adaptable to various meeting and audience formats and configurations, such as small to large audience (which affects display and audio configurations) and display-only versus presentation format (which affects required user spaces and surfaces and the direction/orientation of the terminal). Such terminals should be relocatable and storable, thus facilitating the sharing of costly preconfigured equipment housed in such terminals among multiple satellite conference and meeting rooms in a large facility or institution.
Current solutions consist either of custom, one-of-a-kind professionally wired conference rooms, or a component system involving display carts, with separate video, audio, network interface, and computer configurations. These component systems may include customized or build-to-specification speaker lecterns or podiums having unsecured surface space for placing speaker paraphernalia and a portable computer, bezels for housing conventional cathode ray display terminals (visible to a speaker rather than to an audience), shelves and power distribution receptacles reserved for unspecified electronics, and, optionally, a public address system for combining microphone and computer-based audio content. Some lecterns are configured as portable xe2x80x9cloudspeakers in a box,xe2x80x9d but lack facilities for housing any personal computers, accessories, or multimedia components beyond microphones, amplifiers, and speakers.
The prior art mixed-media workstations also lack adequate embedded, integrated handsfree telephone-speakerphone apparatus, as well as other media accessories and facilitation, such as image and motion image projector, portable personal computer and media players, audio mixer and amplifier, and high fidelity speakers. Accordingly, there is a need to integrate such a handsfree telephone-speakerphone equipped with repertoire dialing, network connection, and specifically with direct connections of the telephone-speakerphone apparatus to a selectively locatable external microphone and to repositionable, detachable speakers. The additional functionality provided by such integration is novel in the context of the application of said workstation in multiple-participant environments which would benefit from the improved reconfigurability and relocatability and acoustic benefits of the workstation.
Thus, a heretofore unaddressed need exists in the industry to address the aforementioned deficiencies and inadequacies.
A compact, configurable, personal computer and mixed media workstation and enclosure, houses both a user-provided portable computer and embedded and user-provided electronic accessories, which facilitate electronic presentations and remote meetings. Hidden but user accessible power distribution panel and chamber for cables, cords, and power converters provide novel compression-gasket cable feed management from chamber to accessories positioned on a primary user work surface. Further, other elements relate to the provision of hideable user work surfaces, including bidirectional (left and right extensible) wing shelves, pivoting speakers and transcription notes holders, which together more than double the available user surface area compared to the closed footprint or base area of the enclosure. A single latching mechanism, capable of simultaneously securing all internal chambers, can be locked with a single locking mechanism, thereby securing all housed electronic equipment and accessories. An embedded hands-free speakerphone allows connection to external microphones and to embedded audio system including amplifier and detachable high fidelity external speakers. The rotational base of the enclosure and the hanging, detachable, repositionable speakers permit arbitrary dynamic directional re-orientation of the in-use enclosure independent of the directional orientation of the speakers. An, extensible, back-lit projection screen and frame provides an additional facility for realizing a self-contained small group presentation station when used with the housed and facilitated, but user-provided, projector.
Other systems, methods, features, and advantages of the present invention will be or become apparent to one skilled in the art upon examination of the following drawings and detailed description. It is intended that all such additional systems, methods, features, and advantages be included within this description, be within the scope of the present invention, and be protected by the accompanying claims.